I started this blog in 2009 to document what I ate, what I read, and how much I ran leading up to the NYC marathon. While I did manage to drag myself over the finish line, I have since decided I am not a marathon runner. I have also decided that while running, food, and reading are no longer the centre of my life, they remain an integral part of helping me centre and appreciate my life. They help me realize that it's not that serious...

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Spring Training

So it only took 24 hours before I broke my breaking bad. Third time's a charm...

Running: Track and Field season is back, baby.

While I didn't do any actual running, I did run the Track and Field coaches' meeting for the Toronto District School Board; the official start of the track and field season. I am the convener for my quadrant of the city which means that I am one of two people responsible for organizing 6 track meets for over 100 schools. It's a huge job and totally stressful and takes up way more of my life than I'd like during the busiest time of the school year, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I LOVE track and field. Which is weird because growing up, I was probably the least athletic person I knew. I am not even kidding when I tell you that I didn't even know track and field teams existed until I became a teacher myself. How sad is that?

So why do I love track? I don't really know... Maybe it's because more than any other sport (besides cross country running), there is real camaraderie among athletes; I love how the athletes from different schools shake hands, congratulate each other, and even hug it out after a race. I love how intense these little guys get about their training. I love how they cheer each other, the looks of determination on their faces, and the pride they feel at the end of the race. Or jump. Or throw.

Why am I telling you this? Because six weeks from now when I'm totally stressed and freaking out, remind me that I love this sport.

Reading: The end of an era

I bought some new books on Sunday. I really wasn't planning on it but when I found out that The World's Biggest Bookstore was closing this week, I just had to visit one more time. I am so sad this store is closing; it was one of my top 5 bookstore in the world. I'll tell you more about the other four another time.

The first time I visited this store was about 25 years ago. I was going to The Bahamas for the summer to do a summer course and my required "textbook" was a very specialized guide to the ocean life of the Carribean and the World's Biggest Bookstore was the only place in the city that carried it. And since this was long before the days of the internet, or even Indigo for that matter, it may as well have been the only place on the planet that carried it.

I'd been hearing about this "new" ancient grain for a while now but I couldn't really find too many recipes for it so I held off on trying it. However, when I saw an industrial-sized kegger of it at Costco, I'd decided it was mainstream enough to give it a go.

In case you haven't heard of it, freekah is green roasted wheat. You cook it the same way you'd cook quinoa and it has the same texture and size as quinoa and barley but unlike quinoa or barley, it's not gluten-free. It's also got a taste that's not quite as neutral as quinoa.